U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
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Office of Senator Russ Feingold | 202/224-5323

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I am a strong supporter of increased access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), which are portable devices used to restore normal heart rhythm to people in cardiac arrest. In 2000, I worked to pass the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act, which created a federal grant program to provide rural communities with funds to purchase defibrillators. The following year, it was announced that Wisconsin would be one of the first three states to receive federal funding to place AEDs in rural areas. Later that year, Congress approved $12.5 million to fund this program nationally.

The program has since helped 49 states increase the number of defibrillators in their rural communities. Wisconsin has continued to benefit from this program. In fiscal year 2005, Wisconsin received $168,000 to purchase AEDs in rural areas. Click here to view the list of agencies and counties in Wisconsin that will receive AEDs under this program.

Throughout 2005, I worked with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to secure additional funding to bring more AEDs to Wisconsin. In May 2005, I led a bipartisan group of senators in asking the Senate Appropriations Committee to fully fund the Rural AED program to meet the needs of our communities. I was pleased that the Senate voted in October 2005 to provide nearly $10 million in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill for AED programs for 2006. Unfortunately, the final version of this bill provided only $1.9 million in funding for the Rural and Community AED programs.

In 2001, Sen. Collins and I introduced legislation to increase CPR and AED training in schools and provide schools with information on how to set up a public access defibrillation program. The ADAM Act (Automatic Defibrillators in Adam's Memory Act) is aimed at increasing youth access to AEDs and training students in their use. It is named after Adam Lemel, a 17-year-old high school student from Wisconsin who collapsed and died from an undiagnosed heart condition while playing in a basketball game. I am pleased that this Act was passed by Congress and signed into law in July 2003, but Congress has yet to fund the legislation.

While Congress has taken a good first step in improving the survival rates of cardiac arrest victims throughout the country, I will continue to fight to ensure that these important programs are properly funded.

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